Oceanside man dies while shoveling snow

An Oceanside man died of a heart attack while shoveling snow at his home the day after a blizzard dumped about 20 inches of snow on Long Island.

David G. Gray, 56, was pronounced dead at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside Monday afternoon, shortly after collapsing outside his home at about 2 p.m.

A native of Bangor, Maine, Gray owned Grays Business Solutions on Lawson Boulevard near his home. Previously, he had worked in operations management at Sharp Electronics and Kyocera Mita America, said his wife, Nancy Gray.

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"It was always his dream to have his own business," she said. "So after he left Kyocera in 2008, he took some time off and decided to go this route."

Monday afternoon, Gray was among several residents on his street who began the chore of digging out after the weekend blizzard.

After he collapsed, neighbors came to his aid and an ambulance rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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"He was a man of integrity and loyalty, a faithful man," said Janet Porcher, the pastor at First United Methodist Church in Oceanside, where Gray was a member. "He was active in the church, using the gifts and graces that God had given to him. He will be a tremendous loss to the church. He was loved by many, many people."